As the UK’s largest oven cleaning franchise, we’ve helped restore greasy, blackened and stained oven trays back to sparkling new conditions.
Tempting as it may be to buy new oven trays when faced with the task of removing burnt food and blackened marks, a little TLC can go a long way in completely transforming your oven trays into as good as new.
With decades of professional cleaning ovens, trays, and racks, we’ve compiled a complete DIY list of easy oven-cleaning methods, tips and tricks you can do at home. Say goodbye to your ovens’ grease and grime, and hello to a refreshed feeling.
Don’t want to do it yourself? Find your local professional oven rack cleaner near you today.
How to clean oven trays and baking trays
- Wear protective cleaning gloves to ensure your hands are free from any grease, grime or cleaning agents while cleaning your oven baking trays.
- Wipe the baking tray with a paper towel to remove grease and grime.
- Submerge your baking tray in a sink or tub filled with a cleaning solution of hot water and washing-up liquid.
- Soak the baking tray for at least an hour, allowing the soap to work on any tough stains.
- Scrub any dirt and grime on the baking tray with an abrasive scourer and hot soapy water.
- Rinse your oven baking tray thoroughly with hot water.
- To ensure your baking tray is as clean as possible, put your tray in the dishwasher for one final clean.
- Thoroughly dry your baking tray with a paper towel to remove any leftover dirt or grease.
Related: How to Clean Your Electric or Gas Oven
How to clean non-stick baking trays after cooking
- Clean your baking tray immediately – Leaving a non-stick oven tray dirty after use will result in its contents settling and sticking onto the surface. This makes removing the food, dirt and grime much harder to clean off, and far more likely that you’ll damage the non-stick surface during cleaning. To ensure the longevity and health of your non-stick baking tray, make sure to clean immediately after use.
- Miss the dishwasher – As tempting as it may be, putting non-stick baking trays in the dishwasher can cause irreversible, costly damage. Many non-stick baking tray manufacturers highly recommend hand washing your tray to protect the health of your oven tray. Handwashing can be a more efficient, cheaper and sustainable way to clean your non-stick baking tray.
- Clean with a paper towel – Ensure all excess dirt and grime is removed from your non-stick oven tray with a paper towel. This saves heaps of time and protects your sink against clogged pipes or plugs.
- Avoid scourers and abrasive metal sponges when cleaning – Attacking your dirty, non-stick baking tray with a brand-new sharp metal scourer isn’t just a dangerous mistake; it can cause irreversible damage to your baking tray, rendering it useless. To maintain the quality of your non-stick baking tray, use a soft cloth and sponge when scrubbing, as this will best protect the coating.
- Rinse with boiling water – Rinsing your non-stick oven tray after gently scrubbing loose any dirt, will remove a surprising amount of grime quickly and efficiently.
- Submerge and soak in a hot cleaning solution – Soak and fully submerge your non-stick baking tray in hot, soapy liquid for one hour. If you can’t fully submerge your oven tray, soak each side for 30 minutes each. Napisan can be one of the best oven tray cleaners for non-stick trays. If you don’t have access to some, try mixing some baking powder with hot water and dishwashing liquid.
- Clean and scrub – It’s crucial that you use soft cloths and sponges to clean your non-stick oven tray instead of metal scourers. As you clean, rinse regularly with hot, soapy water to get every last bit of dirt and grime.
- Coat in oil – While you don’t need to season your non-stick baking tray like a cast iron, coating it in oil before and after use can improve its longevity. This is even the case with cared-for trays, as all non-stick trays experience natural wear and tear damage to their coating.
- Dry thoroughly – Once coated in oil, ensure your non-stick baking tray is dabbed dry and stored safely. If you’re stacking your oven trays, we recommend separating them with a tea towel to avoid scratching and surface damage.
- Repeat – Continue to repeat these steps as needed to ensure your non-stick baking tray is completely clean.
How To Clean A Burnt Oven Tray
- Use a paper towel to remove excess grease and loose dirt on your burnt oven tray.
- Pour boiling water into a sink or tub and add a cup of baking soda. Wait for bubbles to subside.
- Place your burnt oven tray in the sink and leave it to soak for an hour to let the solution soften the burn marks.
- Drain the water and use a cloth or sponge to wipe away the softened burnt crust on your oven tray – following the reaction between the hot water and baking soda, this should break down and come away easily.
- If your burnt oven tray wasn’t completely submerged the first time around, it may need further cleaning. Repeat the process with the burnt oven tray turned over to focus on the remaining areas.
- Give your burnt oven tray a final clean in the sink or use a dishwasher for best results.
How to Clean Aluminium Oven Trays, Racks and Roasting Pans
While easier to clean than non-stick baking trays, aluminium oven trays and roasting pans can become excessively stained after prolonged use. This often leads to many people throwing away their perfectly good aluminium oven trays, roasting pans and racks. To help you avoid this, here’s a guide on how to clean aluminium oven trays or racks.
- Gather the following for cleaning: aluminium oven tray, aluminium oven rack or roasting pan, bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) scourer, paper towels, hydrogen peroxide, dish soap and washing powder.
- Wipe your aluminium oven tray, roasting pan or rack with a paper towel to remove excess dirt and grime.
- Rinse your aluminium oven tray, rack or roasting pan with boiling hot water.
- Soak the aluminium oven tray, rack or roasting pan in a mix of hot water and soap.
- Gently use a sponge and scourer to remove dirt from your aluminium oven tray, rack or roasting pan
- Mix 1/4 cup of baking soda, 1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide, 1 tbsp of dish soap, 1 tbsp of salt, and enough water into a thick paste.
- Apply this paste to your aluminium oven tray, rack or roasting pan, rubbing it all over the surface.
- Let your aluminium oven tray, rack or roasting pan sit with the paste for 2-3 hours.
- Clean your aluminium oven tray, rack or roasting pan with a wet metal scourer, ensuring the paste is thoroughly scrubbed across the whole tray.
- Rinse your aluminium oven tray, rack or roasting pan with hot water, ensuring all the cleaning paste is removed.
- Finally, rinse your aluminium oven tray, rack or roasting pan and clean once more with a sponge to remove any remaining residue.
How to Clean Oven Trays with Baking Soda and Vinegar
- Wipe your oven tray with a paper towel to remove dirt.
- Rinse and clean your oven tray with hot soapy water.
- Fill your sink with hot water and dishwashing liquid to form a hot soapy solution.
- Mix in 65g of baking soda and 65g of white vinegar.
- Submerge and soak your oven tray for 1-2 hours.
- Scrub your oven tray with a wet scourer while rinsing with hot water.
- Thoroughly dry your oven tray with a paper towel and then a tea towel, ensuring all residual dirt is removed.
Cleaning Oven Trays with Napisan
Napisan is one of the most efficient ways to clean oven trays or racks, and it is also more environmentally friendly.
- Submerge your oven racks or trays in a large tub of hot water.
- Add a full cap of Napisan and let your oven trays or racks soak for 1-2 hours.
- Once soaked, clean your oven racks or trays with a soft cloth or sponge.
- Dry the oven racks or tray thoroughly, removing all excess dirt.
Tips for Maintaining Your Oven and Baking Trays, Racks and Pans
- Line your oven trays, racks, and pans with baking paper or foil whenever possible to keep them clean and avoid burnt-on stains.
- Always use a paper towel to remove excess grease and dirt from your oven trays, racks and pans after each use.
- Soak oven trays, racks and pans regularly (ideally after each use) in hot water with washing-up liquid for an hour.
- Refrain from excessively scrubbing your oven trays, racks, and pans with abrasive tools such as wire scourers. This could cause unnecessary damage, requiring more frequent replacement.
Get your free oven cleaning quote today
If you’re looking for a full deep-clean oven experience, find your local professional oven rack cleaner near you today. Our experienced technicians know every bit of your oven inside and out and use top-quality oven-cleaning products that are kind to your home and the environment!
Oven cleaning doesn’t have to be hard. Our professionals make it easy with a free quote from your local professionals at 0800 140 9800.